Advent - Day Twenty

Apologies for the late unveiling of box number twenty but I had last minute Christmas shopping to do (which almost killed me) and EJ is at a wedding. To celebrate the fact that my Christmas shopping is now complete, I just had to share one of my favourite Christmas song and video with you all...

Wham's Last Christmas was released in the same year as my birth so I have a special bond with it, unfortunately the song never quite made it to the Christmas number one spot all because of Bob Geldof's project Band Aid. The video and styling is so 80s, I am always mesmerised by George Michael's bouncing mullet. A large part of me wants to re-enact this ski lodge scene with my own friends...maybe next year.

Black and blue

More headphones... I thought her jacket was really special, and the whole look, tomboy but feminine at the same time.

A seasonal fairytale

Unlike EJ, who only has a few bits to get, I still have a lot of my Christmas shopping to do over the next few days and I'm sure to encounter nightmarish scenes (my fault for not being organised enough!) but when did Christmas become so real, so much responsibility and stress? Christmas should always be a time of wonder not just one of mass consumption (both presents and food). I used to love this time of year, not just because of the unwrapping of presents which were brought to you by family members you only see once a year combined with the constant influx of food coming from the kitchen but because it was the only time of year when we all came together to create something special. It used to be a time like no other in the calender, when whole streets were transformed and excitement filled the air. The decorated tree just although lovely just doesn't fill the same anymore.

I've never been one who enjoy doing anything on a stage but I used to love dressing up as a shepherd for my annual nativity play. Now that I'm older, Christmas just isn't the same because all of the kids in my family have grown up...so it is a time when the grown up family get together not one of wonder and make believe. Don't get me wrong it is still an enjoyable time but it has lost what makes it unique. In the Christmas and New Year Issue of Fashion156, the editorial depicts a winter fairy tale and the picture book scenes just remind me of how I used to see this time of year.

As always with Fashion156 the editorial mixes new designers with some of my favourites. This jumper comes from a newly launched knitwear label called Sibling and is teamed up with YMC black trousers.

The jumper above is by Katie Eary (who is a recent RCA Grad and has been featured as part of DazedDigital's Fashion's New Optimisim) and is paired with nylon trousers by Carola Euler, boots by bstore and the fantastical look is finished with a furry mask by Soren Bach.

For some reason the above look reminds me of the Shepherd I used to play between the ages of five and ten but obviously it is how I'd love to dress the part now as opposed to how I looked back then. The look contains the best pieces from the Raf Simons AW 08 collection (the shirt and coat combo) and is worn with grey trousers by Carola Euler and hi tops by Balenciaga.

This tartan jumper comes from Balenciaga and is my favourite piece (if anyone is wealthy and would like to get me a present...). I expect a few surprises to come out from this Fashion House and look forward to see what Nicolas Ghesquière's team come up with in the New Year.

As you can see, the styling steps away from the season 'must haves' or a guide to the best party outfits which we see in the vast majority of publication and instead concentrates on original pieces that will allow you to stand out from the crowd and celebrate style at it's most fantastical. Who cares if they're not perfectly suitable for everyday wear? Hopefully, these images will at the very least transport you to the Christmas' of old before you have to return to the stress and panic which the festive season now brings.

Advent - Day Nineteen

Daniel Jenkins is one of the many friends that we have made this year through writing this blog. His passion for menswear and his vision for his own boutique in deepest, darkest Wales is both contagious and inspiring. Box number nineteen on our advent calender reveals Daniel Jenkins' store Christmas Card...

Seasons greetings from Daniel Jenkins (Welsh Translation - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year)

As well as seasonal greetings in Welsh the scene features his three dogs (Inigo and Vesper the Cocker Spaniel puppies and Hector the whippet) doing a rather able job of accessorising his Stansfield, Siv Stodal, April77 and Satyenkumar get up.

Best DIY Project Ever!?!

I was fortunate enough to watch Daft Punk play the 02 festival two summers ago in Hyde Park and was blown away by their performance and of course I left the park wanting my own robot leathers outfit complete with LED Helmet. During my daily visit to Kanye's blog where I gaze over the plethora of links which he has managed to amass that particular day, I came across the best piece of DIY I have ever seen. If Casey Pugh entered this video into The Sunday Best's contest he would surely have a chance of walking away with the prize...

My Daft Punk helmet from Casey Pugh on Vimeo.

This makes me lose heart in the quality of my own entry to the contest but inspires to spend some of my Christmas holiday with a screwdriver and many, many LEDs. If I don't return from my Christmas break you will know why...

Inspired by Jonathan+Olivia

Jonathan+Olivia is a forward minded fashion boutique based in Vancouver which features international clothing for both men and women (including the likes of Acne, Hyden Yoo, Rag&Bone, Robert Geller, Stansfield...). The boutique was named after the owner's (Jackie O'Brien) niece and nephew which I find unbelievably cute as I have visions of stylish little toddlers (as per the Parisian Toddler featured last month) but I guess the name will be less cute when they get older...

Within issue eight of h(y)r collective (which has become one of my favourite online reads) the store has presented it's Autumn/Winter 08 lookbook as part of the the issues editorial feature and the relaxed but somewhat romantic Autumn scenes depicted make me realise that I just didn't play in the leaves enough this year.

The style of the editorial has made me want to do something similar on the blog. A somewhat candid but (attempted) stylish look in to what we'll be wearing in the coming season. The Spring/Summer 09 look books are fast being shown here and within the rest of the blogosphere but expect a Style Salvage attempt sometime in the New Year. I am envisioning a roadtrip to the seaside, I want donkeys and sandy beaches...In all seriousness this lookbook has inspired me to take more personal style shots and I've added this to my ever growing New Year's Resolution lists which is now more like the original transcript of Kerouac's 'On the Road' than your average list...

Advent - Day Eighteen

Ladies and gentlemen, my sore head and heavy cold reliably informs me that we have well and truly in the midst of festive party season. The simple but cute styling of the Lanvin x Acne collaboration is a lesson to us all on what to take to a party...nothing makes a party like flowers for the hostess and a balloon, well for everyone, a party just isn't a party without balloons.

The Lanvin x Acne collaboration has already made me drool all over my laptop once this year following the early glimpses of the denim hi tops. We have had to wait since July to see additional pieces of the collection but thankfully the waiting is over. It seems that alot of people were somewhat desperate for the release because a number of the pieces have already sold out. My favourite piece of the collection is the relaxed fitted double breasted jacket but with the pound so weak against the Euro, this collaboration is a little out of my reach (the prices are certainly more Lanvin than Acne) but if you have not spend all of your money on Christmas the collection is available here.

Winter Blues

I love this girl's coat. When I asked if it was vintage, she proudly responded "No, it's H&M!" What a great find! The fur hat, lurex tights and Converse make the outfit. Plus, the cute red earphones... Everyone I photographed yesterday had their headphones on!

Tom Ford's Rule Number Seven

"Just like girls need to learn to be comfortable in heels before they go out in them for the first time, a man should try wearing a suit throughout a normal day. I do most things in a suit - and sometimes even in a tuxedo - and so I'm really comfortable in one."

Tom Ford's 'Rules of Style' were recently featured on Men.Style and have been making the rounds on the blogosphere ever since. From I've read a number of guys are somewhat bemused by some of his rules (as am I) but surely we can all agree on the above rule. When wearing a suit or tuxedo the Texan born designer looks as though he has never worn anything else. He is so at ease in one of his sartorial ensembles that the material becomes a second skin. One of my New Year's Resolutions (I seem to have knocked up quite a few) is to wear more suits and become as comfortable in one as a pair of worn in APC jeans and a white Martin Margiela t shirt. Currently I love wearing suits (I still get that little buzz of 'power' when wearing one) but I do fidget in one whilst out and love nothing more than returning home and becoming a slob-like again.

The timing of Ford's rules coincide with the look book images for his Spring/Summer 09 collection and there are plenty of suits on show which I'd be happy to wear as my second skin. Ordinarily, I might have dismissed this collection as exaggerated Italian Dandy but I have to admit that I have simply fallen in love with the use of colour, the styling, the hair, the everything. For me, this look would be completed by watching the world go by with espresso on a piazza, an Ateliers helmet (I know these are French but they are beautiful) on the table and a Vespa parked close by. I am dreaming up an Italian summer city break already...

Advent - Day Seventeen

Whilst in Paris, I had lunch inside Printemp where I tucked in Steak Tartare underneath a 1923 circa Art Nouveau cupola. The beauty was somewhat ruined by Susie nudging me under the table and gesturing me to look at the chap sitting at the table next to me. I had a quick glance over him and nothing was unusual about his appearance and I certainly didn't know him...then I looked down at his feet and saw him wearing a pair of Ugg boots. We have already written about our dislike for these glorified slippers but rather than continue down that line, I have stumbled across a stylish alternative whilst shopping on Farfetch...

These suede sherling boots come courtesy of the hi-top and all round shoe designer champion himself Pierre Hardy. If you like cosy footwear there really is no excuse to forget about style...